Session #48 Promoting independence for Students with 1:1 Paraeducators
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This document discusses strategies for promoting independence for students with 1:1 paraeducators. It begins by noting some detrimental effects that can occur when independence is not fostered, such as students being unable to complete basic tasks without assistance. The document then outlines how shifting mindsets among teachers, paraeducators, students, and parents can support independence. Specific strategies are provided, including using prompts from most to least assistance and fading assistance over time. The importance of teaching students to work independently for short periods is also discussed. Overall, the document advocates for an approach where paraeducators focus on connecting students to the classroom rather than doing everything for them.
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Session #48 Promoting independence for Students with 1:1 Paraeducators
- 1. YOU CAN DO IT!!!! Promoting Independence for Students with 1:1 Paraeducators VANESSA TUCKER PH. D., BCBA-D. LBA PATRICK MULICK BCBA NBCT
- 8. I am glad that is taken care of. Now I can get back to my other work.
- 12. Partner Cher: What do some of these detrimental effects look like in your neck of the woods?
- 21. If we are not careful we can have… A preschooler who can write all of their letters but does not know how to ask for help A first grader who can read at a third grade level but can’t transition to another part of the classroom without holding on to an adult’s hand A second grader who can multiply double digits but can’t turn in papers to the teacher A fifth grader who knows the periodic table but can’t navigate the lunch line A high schooler with basic computer programing skills but is unable to handle unexpected change
- 22. What Are We Doing To Our Kids? Opening the door Holding their hand while navigating school Telling them to say please and thank you Opening their food for them Telling them what is next Giving only 2 seconds for them to respond to a direction before providing help Getting out their supplies for them
- 23. When focusing on independence, one must ask themselves “what shouldn’t I be doing for my student” just as much as one asks “what should I be doing for my students.”
- 24. Fact: Independence increases self esteem, decreases the reliance on adults, and increases opportunities beyond public education.
- 27. A Shift in Mindsets to Support Independence For Students with 1:1 Paraeducators in General Education
- 28. General Education Teacher Old Mindset The paraeducator is here to manage the student. The student’s success will be measured by what they are able to do with their paraeducator’s help. New Mindset The paraeducator is here to support the student in accessing my instruction. The student’s success can be measured by what they are able to accomplish with minimal help.
- 29. Paraeducator Old Mindset My role is to do things for the teacher and make sure my student does not disrupt learning. I am the student’s primary instructor. New Mindset My role is to connect the student with the rest of the classroom and with their primary instructor, the teacher.
- 30. Student Old Mindset The paraeducator is mine. I go to them for help or to strike up a conversation. They are my friend. They must follow me wherever I go. New Mindset The paraeducator is a helper in the classroom. I go to my peers for conversation and my teacher for help, though the paraeducator might assist the teacher in helping me.
- 31. Less Familiar Teacher Old Mindset The paraeducator will lead me in teaching the student. They will tell me if I need to do something specific for the student. New Mindset I will lead in teaching the student, and the paraeducator will help me with the follow through.
- 32. Other Students Old Mindset I shouldn’t bug the paraeducator or their student. They want to be left alone. New Mindset I can ask the paraeducator for help if they are free and I can talk to their student if it is appropriate.
- 33. Case Manager/Special Education Teacher Old Mindset Since the student has a paraeducator I do not need to worry about their program because someone else is overseeing it. New Mindset I should have ongoing collaboration with other building staff, including therapists when applicable, on how we can help this student be more independent. I then need to share that planning with the paraeducator.
- 34. Parent/Guardian Old Mindset The paraeducator is in charge of making sure my student gets their work done. I am concerned if I feel they are not doing enough. New Mindset The paraeducator helps my student have access to the general education curriculum and progress in their IEP goals with minimal help. I am concerned if I feel they are doing too much.
- 35. Administrator Old Mindset School staff can focus on promoting independence for students with 1:1’s, regardless of how difficult their caseload/situation is. New Mindset School staff can focus on promoting independence to the degree that they have capacity and have support from administration.
- 36. Administrator Old Mindset The child is “fine/covered” because they are now taken care of by the para, allowing the teacher to resume their teaching responsibilities. In turn, the child is not welcome unless they have the para accompanying them. New Mindset The child is a member of the classroom who should be practicing skills of independence as well as gaining equal access (with supports) to their teacher- the same as other children.
- 37. The Independence Minded Educator
- 38. The Independence Minded Educator Every time I do something for my student, I deny them an opportunity to do it on their own. Each time I deny them a chance to do something at least partially on their own, I rob them of a more independent future.
- 39. The Independence Minded Educator I make a difference by fading assistance!
- 40. The Independence Minded Educator I bring kids power when I seem just like a wallflower!
- 41. The Independence Minded Educator I am here to spread the “can do” glitter, not be a baby sitter!
- 42. The Independence Minded Educator Here comes the BOOM of my student being independent in this room!
- 43. The Independence Minded Educator I do the wave when at school I am not your fave!
- 44. The Independence Minded Educator Giving too many cues and too many clues only lights the dependent fuse!
- 45. The Independence Minded Educator I raise the roof when my student fixes their own goof!
- 46. The Independence Minded Educator Despite all your quirks, get ready for fireworks! Somehow, someway, I will make this your Independence Day!
- 49. Prompts A prompt involves adding supplemental antecedent stimuli, which makes the response occurrence more likely.
- 50. Challenges we run into Need to allow for processing time..
- 51. Challenges we run into Our patience for processing time varies, making our expectations inconsistent.
- 52. Challenges we run into We let an SD just go on its own. Make sure you mean what you say and say what you mean.
- 53. Challenges we run into The student only learns to attend to the prompt and never the Discriminative Stimulus.
- 54. Challenges we run into We create kids who only can function and respond with the prompts, thus creating “prompt junkies.”
- 55. Not all Prompts are created equal Full Physical Partial Physical Full Model Partial Model Full Verbal Model Partial Verbal Model Gesture Positional Visual
- 56. Physical Prompts Full Physical Partial Physical The teacher uses hand over hand guidance to make sure the student demonstrates the correct response. The teacher uses only partial physical assistance so that the student demonstrates the correct response. Ex. Hand over hand washing hands Ex. Tapping elbow to raise hand. *May not be appropriate for large motor activity, like going to lunch.
- 57. Modeling Prompts Full Model Partial Model The teacher fully demonstrates the correct response. The teacher only demonstrates part of the correct response. Ex. Showing where to get the towels. Ex. Walking in the direction of where to find the door. *May not be appropriate for those who are unable to sustain attention.
- 58. Verbal Modeling Prompts Full Verbal Partial Verbal The teacher clearly communicates what the desired response is step by step. The teacher communicates only part of the desired response. Ex. Explaining how to use the locker Ex. Touching on key details of directions to the office *Be aware of those who can’t look and listen. ”I can look at you or listen to you, but I can’t do both.”
- 59. Gesture and Positional Prompts Gesture Positional The teacher makes some kind of gesture to prompt the desired response. The teacher places an item/object in a specific position/place that prompts the correct response. Ex. Nodding head toward the pencil sharpener Ex. Putting the correct choice of two closer to the student.
- 60. Visual Prompts Visual An arrangement of the physical environment that prompts the correct response. Ex. A visual reminder to raise a hand to ask questions.
- 61. Full Physical Partial Physical Full Model Partial Model Full Verbal Model Partial Verbal Model Gesture Positional Visual Most to Least Prompting is used when first teaching a new skill, and then the prompt is faded.
- 62. Full Physical Partial Physical Full Model Partial Model Full Verbal Model Partial Verbal Model Gesture Positional Visual Least to Most Prompting is used when working on a skill that has been previously mastered.
- 63. Student taking longer or working harder to get the right answer with less help Student more quickly getting the right answer with help
- 64. A little Smaller A little lighter A little Softer A little less
- 65. Partner Share- One thing that you do for your students that you probably shouldn’t?
- 72. Teaching a Child to Work by Him or Herself –Nancy Rosenburg Start with a short task that is reasonably preferred, has a clear end point, and the student has the capability of doing alone (even though he’s not). You can make the task even shorter by presenting it already mostly completed (e.g., give a puzzle with all the pieces in but one, or give a math worksheet with all the problems completed but the last two). Identify a reinforcer that child can have when he/she completes his work.
- 73. Teaching a Child to Work by Him or Herself-Nancy Rosenburg Tell child, “It’s time to work by yourself. When you finish <task>, you get <reinforcer>.” Then pretend to be doing something else. You may need to start by standing near the child, but don’t give any prompts or respond to bids for attention. Look busy doing other things When the child finishes the very short task, give lots of social praise for “working by yourself!”as well as the reinforcer. If you end up having to help, do so, but they don’t get the reinforcer. Have him try again by himself.
- 74. Strategies for Promoting Independence for Students Who Have a 1:1 Paraeducator in General Education 1. Use Visuals!
- 75. Strategies for Promoting Independence for Students Who Have a 1:1 Paraeducator in General Education 2. Task Analyze It!
- 77. Strategies for Promoting Independence for Students Who Have a 1:1 Paraeducator in General Education 3. Watch Your Prompts!
- 78. Strategies for Promoting Independence for Students Who Have a 1:1 Paraeducator in General Education 4. Use Peers!
- 79. Strategies for Promoting Independence for Students Who Have a 1:1 Paraeducator in General Education 5. Promote Self- Management!
- 80. Don’t Limit Me!
Editor's Notes
- The tough reality about being an educator is that there are no days off. High expectations are put on every educator in the schoolhouse, especially the classroom teacher.
- The expectations are high because what we do in each and every day have a cumulative effect on our students. The adults that our students are going to become, they are becoming today. In order to maximize our student’s futures, we must maximize the smallest of moments in a day and repeat that over and over. One drawback from this reality is that high expectations met with challenges from students in the classroom often leave a teacher feeling like this…..
- (insert laugh here)
- From students who may be acting inappropriately towards others…….
- Or a student completely disengaging…..
- Sometimes educators are working with a particular student amongst many other that need a little bit more of support. And sometimes with these students, despite the best efforts of the school staff to support the student, things go from bad to worse. And in some of these cases it is identified that a paraeducator is needed to help carry out a more detailed plan for the student for the time being.
- One problem that often comes when such a high level of support is provided is that the overseeing teacher tends to think this way (see slide). Through no ill will of their own, they may feel the need to not worry about the student with a targeted paraeducator for the time being because someone else has “got them” and they can get back to working with the rest of the students.
- Another problem that arises is that paraeducators are in most places are provided little to no training on how to do their job before they begin. They may work from a big heart and what they believe is the right thing to do, but through no fault of their own they may end up working with their student in such a way that would cause unintended consequences. (See next slide)
- This is just one example of what may come up, one of many (see next slide)
- While this is title calls out the paraprofessional, I like to think that this really could be anyone in the schoolhouse who is working with the student. Anyone could be excessive in the way that they support. “Limited Access to Competent Instruction” doesn’t jive well when we think about our paras who are out there pouring their hearts out for kids each day. But it does go back what is the system to support paras as they come in from the get go and providing competent training from the beginning. It also speaks to the relationship that needs to be valued between the student and classroom leader, which we will talk about in a moment. For the moment though…………..(next slide)
- Give 5 minutes, and then ask for volunteers to share out to the whole group.
- When we think about small group or whole group instruction, we can take for granted the sacred relationship that exists between the classroom teacher and student. The teacher is the professional whose prescribed multiyear teacher-prep program has prepared them to teach many kids of varying abilities simultaneously. The are the multi tasking ninja. The student is the learner whose sole responsibility is to engage, benefit, and learn from this highly trained professional.
- In this relationship an invisible force field, a sacred channel of focus if you will, exists. It is in this channel that the teacher provides instruction to the student, the student responds and asks questions , and the teacher responds back. And it is in this channel that much can be disrupted when……
- You put another adult in it. When not utilized correctly, a paraeducator can inadvertently create a distraction for the targeted student that would turn their attention away from the primary educator, the classroom teacher.
- Looking at the whole class, it is not just one student who has this sacred channel….
- It is everyone. And it is for that reason that sometimes when paraeducators are at their best, they are respecting that channel and only jumping in to provide help when needed and not pulling up a chair next to the student for ease. Sometimes, when a paraeducator is at their best, they are sitting in the back of the class looking like they are doing nothing at all (all the while respecting that sacred channel of every student). And this is just one small practice that we must be paying attention to when thinking about the field of education because this is one of those many small things done right over time that will impact a student’s future. It will impact their independence, something we don’t often talk much about.
- Annual study by Autism Speaks, looks at what adults with autism across the U.S. are doing after they leave public education. This is just a small snapshot with it being just one disability, but it does speak to work that still needs to be done. Yes, this does not all land on the schoolhouse and we do need to advocate for “disability friendly” opportunities and resources beyond public education, but we must ask what our part is in all of this.
- This is hard because we all got into education in the first place because we love kids. And when we talk about kids whose needs are so great they require the support of a 1:1 paraeducator, our hearts grow even bigger because we find ourselves working with someone who often has not been give a fair lot in life. We are rooting for the underdog. But sometimes we do too much for kids because we care so much them, we can end up teaching them how to do fewer things on their own.
- 45
- Yes, there are times in which we do need to provide help to our students…………..
- But our students are really talented at getting us to provide more help than what is needed since we are already there. As skilled we think we are at shaping their behavior, some of our students are even more skilled at changing ours. Which really calls into question the type of help that we provide and really warrants deep conversation about how we provide prompts to students.
- Explain what a prompt is
- We can give the SD, but don’t give them the chance to process the SD, and se we repeat the SD or provide and unneeded prompt.
- Think about how patient we are with students when they walk in each day. The adults are well-caffeinated, class hasn’t officially started, we have nice calming music in the background, all is right in the world and we give kids as long as they need. Compare that to the end of the day, the busses are here, it is time to go, and the adults haven’t peed in four hours. Our patience in how long it takes them to respond to an initial SD can vary based on the circumstances of any moment in the day.
- Most to least does not mean the number of prompts
- Big picture, we should always work to make our support is this….
- Volunteer share out again, after a few minutes
- Some of our reflections beg the question, what is the uniform way all students who work with a given student will prompt in the same manner and how will be that well communicated. I really like this as an example: The 3 point prompt. It is not for every student or even most students, but notice how you can sum up a prompting procedure for a student in a simple way that can be shared amongst staff in one single cheat sheet.
- Another example of how to promote a student’s independence-simply explained.
- 3:00